Tens of thousands protest against Hong Kong leader

Anti-government protesters, surrounded by police officers, block the main road in downtown, on New Year's Day in Hong Kong Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013 to call for the resignation of Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying. Several hundred members of a small radical group briefly blocked roads after they were stopped by authorities from marching to Leung's official government residence. At one point, protesters pushed and shoved with police. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Tens of thousands of people marched in Hong Kong to call for the city's Beijing-backed leader to step down over allegations he was untruthful about illegal renovations at his mansion and to press for full democracy.

Police said 26,000 people joined the march at its peak Tuesday while organizers said 130,000 took part.

They carried banners and chanted slogans urging Leung Chun-ying to resign. Some held signs depicting Leung as Pinocchio or with wolf-like fangs, a play on Leung's nickname, the wolf. One demonstrator was dressed as a wolf wearing a Communist Red Guard uniform, a reference to fears over Leung's close ties to China's leaders. Many waved Hong Kong's British colonial-era flag in a sign of nostalgia as well as resentment about the city's political masters in Beijing.

In the evening, about 2,500 members of a small radical group briefly blocked several roads after they were stopped by authorities from marching to Leung's official government residence. At one point, protesters pushed and shoved with police, who arrested nine people for public disorder and unlawful assembly.

In a sign of the widening political divisions in the semiautonomous region 15 years after Britain handed control back to China, thousands of other Hong Kongers joined a rival march held in support of Leung on the same day by pro-government groups. Organizers of that march said 60,000 people took part, while police put the number at 8,000.

The day of protest comes half a year after Leung took office after being chosen by a 1,193-member committee of mostly pro-Beijing elites. Leung won the job of Hong Kong's leader, known as the chief executive, after a scandal over a huge, illegal basement brought down his rival.

But illegal structures were later discovered at Leung's house, prompting lawmakers to accuse him of covering it up and calling for his impeachment. Unauthorized home additions have become a touchy issue in Hong Kong, where most of the population lives in tiny apartments.

Demonstrators are using the controversy to push for full democracy for Hong Kong.

Leung's popularity has plunged since he took office because of the scandal over his house and other controversies.

Leung "is not honest. As chief executive, he cannot convince the public that he is a leader with credibility," said Sandy Chung, a clerk. "I don't want Hong Kong to be led by a person without credibility."

Another protester, designer Calvin Tse, said he was upset that he didn't have a say in choosing the city's leader.

"We don't even have a vote. He is elected by a small group of people. We cannot use our voting right to express our view no matter how his performance is," Tse said.

Hong Kong was handed back to China in 1997 and granted Western-style civil liberties not seen on mainland China. Beijing has pledged that Hong Kong's leader can be directly elected as early as 2017, when Leung's current term ends, although no roadmap has yet been laid out. Full democracy for the legislature, where some representatives are chosen by business groups, is promised for 2020.